The World Walkers: Taithmarin: Jarl: Stepping onto Taithmarin
There were stories of Alati Felis who had found their way to another world. Jarl had heard them, but he didn’t believe them. Why would he? It was a world that was supposed to be safe from the hunters who had blighted his life from the time he was a kitten. After everything he’d been through the existence of that world seemed impossible, although there was a part of him that hoped it might be real, that he might find his way there, so he would be safe. He didn’t know what safe would be like, as he’d never been safe, but it sounded nice, like something he’d always wanted and just didn’t know before. Yet he doubted that it could ever happen to him, when he doubted that it was possible, because they would affect whether he was one of the lucky few who got picked.
Of course Jarl did think about who he’d be leaving behind if he was lucky enough for it to happen to him. His parents, his siblings, the aunt who’d raised him and his cousins… all of them were gone, either dead or missing, so some might have been lucky enough to find their way to the other world. The grave of his father was somewhere he’d been more than one. Jarl had never met him, because he’d been killed not long after the pregnancy had been confirmed, and he’d only ever been taken by his aunt, due to the death of his mother during childbirth. One of his siblings had died at the same time.
Jarl and his three sisters had been raised with their cousins, as his aunt had been pregnant at the same time as his mother, and found herself with twelve kittens rather than four. Yet she’d still treated them all the same. He’d never felt like he’d been adopted by her because she couldn’t leave four kittens to fend for themselves after the death of their mother. Until her own death, at the hands of the hunters, he’d loved her like she was his mother and he knew she’d loved him. Two of his sisters and three of his cousins had died at the same time, which was when they’d all split up. He hadn’t seen what was left of his family since.
Being alone wasn’t a bad thing. Sometimes he’d gather with a pride, but that was unusual, and he only did that when he was feeling lonely. Loneliness wasn’t an emotion he dealt with often, though, fortunately, so that was something he appreciated about himself. His sisters had always called him a loner, because he took time out to be by himself whenever had had the chance, usually when they split off to go hunting, and they couldn’t understand why. He’d tried to explain it to them, because they’d asked, but he’d never been able to find the right words to describe why he wanted to be alone, rather than with someone else, although often it was so he wasn’t responsible for anyone but himself.
Silently, the way he’d been taught, Jarl made his way towards the only place he could think of to go hunting. It wasn’t a safe place, day or night, but if he wanted to eat, which he did, he had no choice. He wasn’t entirely sure how he’d got so far north and wished it hadn’t happened, even though wishing wasn’t going to change anything. As he stepped through one of the three archways that would lead him to where he wanted to go he found himself stepping into what appeared to be a hallway, something he’d only seen a couple of times, and that was more due to luck. Without letting this bother him too much he kept walking, still silent, wondering if he had really stepped onto another world.
That did seem to be the most logical explanation. How else would he have gone from outside to inside unexpectedly? Jarl kept his eyes open as he tried to work out where he was, although he didn’t think he would be able to, not without help, and he didn’t expect any. In such a situation he truly thought it was best for him not to have any, because then he couldn’t be disappointed if things didn’t work out the way he hoped they would. He couldn’t help thinking that he might step through another door, as he made himself along the hallway, that would take him back to where he had been, so that was something he was ready for, just in case.
‘You’re safe here,’ a female voice said, making him jump, before the Felis stepped through the doorway at the other end of the hallway to the one he started off at. ‘Jarl, this is Taithmarin. This world has no hunters, no one will try to kill you, and I promise you that you’ll get all the help you need to make yourself comfortable here.’ She smiled. ‘I’ve been through the same thing myself, although it was nine years ago now, so I’ll be your guide for the next two weeks. During that time I’ll teach you about the world, this town, the other races, the calendar, and anything else you want to know.’
‘I can’t believe you.’
‘Understandble.’
‘How do you know my name?’
‘The door you stepped through, as I’m sure you guessed, is magic and whenever it brings someone new here it writes their name and race into a record book in the Council Hall. When that happens someone calls a guide and we’re sent to meet you, with your name and the address of your new home.’
‘You just give me somewhere to live.’
‘Taithmarin is different to home. You can have a job here, if you want to, rent property, live with whoever you want, and do all sorts of other things you would never have been able to do there. Until you’ve seen the town centre you won’t accept what I’m saying, but there are three shops owned by Felis and four owned by Nox Gadael.”
Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.